Arctic blast knocks out power for thousands as multiple crashes snarl highways

A blast of Arctic weather in Nova Scotia caused serious traffic accidents, cancelled or delayed flights and ferries and left thousands of people without power on Friday.

Blowing snow caused zero visibility in some areas and wind-chill values hovered near –30 throughout the day. 

Snow squall, wind and storm surge warnings were in place for about half the province, while Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for the rest, warning of "significant risk" of frostbite and higher than normal water levels during high tide. 

The statement said conditions will gradually improve this evening. 

Even without the wind chill, temperatures are as cold as –18 C in some areas. Temperatures in most areas weren't expected to get much warmer than –13 C, though it is a bit warmer in Cape Breton.

• Check out Nova Scotia Storm Centre for the latest closure and travel details

The province's online road conditions map showed all roads completely or partly snow-covered. A 52-year-old woman was killed during a head-on crash near Port Hawkesbury, and a section of highway near Sydney was closed after a seven-vehicle crash that RCMP say sent another nine vehicles off the road.  

Mail delivery was stopped in parts of Cape Breton and delays were expected elsewhere.

The scheduled Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game between the Halifax Mooseheads and the Saint John Sea Dogs was postponed because of road conditions between the two cities.

The Halifax Regional School Board says schools are open today. All public schools in the province outside of the Halifax region were closed. Many campuses of NSCC cancelled classes or delayed opening, and Cape Breton University closed its campus.

More than 9,000 without power

Nova Scotia Power's online outage map showed 9,781 customers without power at 1:50 p.m. AT. Though there are outages scattered provincewide, the majority of the affected customers are in Cape Breton.

The emergency management office said on Twitter that it had activated its provincial co-ordination centre to help Nova Scotia Power restore electricity in Cape Breton.

Barbara Baillie, executive director of maintenance and operations for the Transportation Department, said drivers should use caution due to poor visibility and ice in some areas. Around 400 plows are out throughout the province.

Both the province and HRM said it's too cold for salt to be effective on the roads.

Trevor Harvie, HRM's superintendent of winter operations, said early Friday that road clearing was going well and the municipality was still working on sidewalks. All the main arterials were passable, he said.

Flight cancellations

Halifax Stanfield International Airport is experiencing extensive cancellations and delays for both arrivals and departures, though some flights are listed as on time.

Northumberland Ferries crossing to P.E.I. and Marine Atlantic sailings to Newfoundland have been rescheduled to Saturday, weather permitting.

Environment Canada was calling for a radical turnaround of the weather over the weekend, with highs of 12 C predicted for Sunday in Halifax.